Indentured
by Rose Priestess
Summary: Another short Keiko fic, my claim to fame. To summarize would be giving the minute excuse for a plot away.


"Indentured"  
by Rose Priestess  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Obligatory Disclaimer: The characters of "Shoujo Kakumei Utena" belong to Saito Chiho, Be-Pa-Pas, etc.  
  
Sonoda Keiko turned over in the dark, shadows swimming through her fingers. She swung her legs over the side of the superfluously large bed and stirred the blankets from her naked form. The sleeping figure beside her mumbled something and curled further under the covers.   
Keiko's feet padded softly as she gathered her strewn school uniform from the carpet. She dressed quickly, keeping an eye on her still unconscious bedmate. Companion was too familiar a word, and she wouldn't dare let "lover" tread across her lips.   
The breeze from the slightly open window flowed over her feverish body. Simple brown loafers in one hand, she climbed onto the wide sill and nudged the window the rest of the way. She stood before the endless night, stretching out in every direction. The towering Chairman's Wing could be seen in the near distance. Its shutters were down.   
Kneeling down on the sill, she tentatively turned and placed a foot on the rose trellis that led up to the second floor bedroom. Thorns bit into the tender pink soles of her feet, but she gave them no mind. It was impossible to scale the trellis with shoes and not wake the whole household, so she went it barefoot. That's what she kept telling herself, anyway. Maybe she was starting to find comfort in the physical pain to distract from the emotional ache.  
It took her less than a minute to reach ground level. She'd practically become a pro at this. She lightly dusted the broken thorns from her feet and slipped her shoes back on. With a last look at the upstairs window, she left. Rather than follow under the streetlights, she kept to the shadows. Perhaps it wasn't the wisest choice for a young girl making a midnight travel, but that was the least of her concerns now.   
Hopefully, I'll make it back to the dormitory without being noticed, she thought as she jogged through the clear night. You never know when two lovers will be out taking a stroll by the light of the moon. Lovers…there's that word again…  
She shook her head to clear herself of the thought as the modernly gothic architecture of the building loomed in her view. Not surprisingly, the lights were off in the double she shared with Yuuko. Surely she was asleep by now.  
Keiko leaned softly against the door to her room. Soft, muffled voices could be heard inside. She recognized Yuuko's light, lilting tone anywhere, but she couldn't quite place the other much deeper voice. Entertaining a male friend at this hour? If Yuuko's not careful, she'll wind up in trouble with the Chairman, Keiko mused.  
A slight smile playing across her face, Keiko slowly twisted the knob and pushed the door open suddenly. Figures silhouetted in the moonlight quickly jerked their attention toward the door. Yuuko snatched the pale blue sheet around herself while her companion comfortably reclined against the headboard, not bothering to cover his upper torso. Keiko flicked on the light, blinking at its harsh glow.  
"Keiko! I…didn't expect you back so early," Yuuko stammered as she blushed crimson. Her chin-length bob only served to frame her surprised eyes as she shrank back further into the expanse of blankets.  
"Good evening, Keiko-san," Kiryuu Touga greeted from his spot on the small bed. The sheets draped lazily over his body while he propped himself up on a pillow.  
"Good evening, Touga-sama," Keiko politely bowed. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't avert her gaze from the lower half of his body. It was a habit she'd tried desperately to break, but staring directly into his eyes was somehow too intimate for her.  
Trying to recover from her embarrassment, Yuuko chastely slipped on a robe embroidered with roses. "Ne, did you finish your work for Nanami-sama?"   
Keiko paused a moment, eyes fixated on the floor. Then, for the first time, she met Touga's gaze as his mouth turned up in a smirk. "Hai."  
  
  
Authoress' Notes  
My god, I actually wrote something. Praise the freaking goddess. Could it be that my dry spell of creativity is finally ending? Don't count on it. Not a very inspired story, but I gave it the old college try, so to speak. Anyway, I was hoping to continue with the "Children of the Revolution" storyline, but it appears that it may have been suspended indefinitely. Time will tell. As usual, comments, flames, MSTs, all are welcome.  
  
e-mail: sstarhealer@hotmail.com 


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